Car construction



Dec. l2, 1939. F. nlTcHFlr-:LD

CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed June 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q7/'JAUME Dec. l2, 1939. F. DITCHFIELD l 2,183,307

CAR coNsTRUcTioN Filed June 9, i937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i-/z/ "-5 17g-4 'IIIIIIIIII' I i I Patented Dec. 12, 1939 PATENT OFFICE om CONSTRUCTION Frank Ditchiield, Cleveland',4 Ohio,- assigner to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohifna corporation of Ohio Application June 9; 1937, Serial No. 147,274

9 Claims.

This invention relates to car construction and is directed moreparticularlyto the reinforcement of the side plates of railway house cars.

Among the objects of this invention are the provision of an economica-1, sturdy and effective reinforcement for the side plates of railway house cars; a side plate reinforcement which shall provide a braced lower edge and effect an increase in the effective inside heighth of such cars; a side plate reinforcement of such design that only horizontal rivets are utilized* for its securement to the side plate andA thereby eliminate vertical rivets and their tendency to promote rusting and leakage; and reinforcement for side plates adapted for securement to the door posts and/or adjacent intermediate posts of the walls of railway house cars to reinforce said Walls aswell.

Other objects of this invention will become clear asl the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a railway house car embodying the instant invention. Figure 2V is a horizontal section taken on lineV 2 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3 3, of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view at an intermediate post adjacent to a door post, parts being broken away to more clearly show the termination of the side plate reinforcement.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention is 5. shown in a railway house car generally known as an automobile car or furniture car. These cars are commonly employed for the shipment. of automobiles, furniture and other bulky commodities.

To this end these cars are customarily provided with door openings of extraordinary width as a result of which the side plate has a long unsupported span across the door opening. This unsupported span of the side plate must be reinforced in order to insure requisite strength of said side plate which enters into the side wall construction as the upper chord of the side wall girder.

The side plate illustrated is of the type known as the AAR side plate and is designated generally by the reference numeral Ill. As clearly appears.

flange i3. The latter fiange is provided with an angularly related flange I4 which follows the slope of. the roof indicated generally at l5, at the eaves portion of said roof. The side plate extends substantially from end to end of the car and is adapted to carry a door retaining Z-bar I6 riveted to the depending fiange I2 as by means of rivets Il.

The door opening I8 is completed by means of the door posts i9 and 20 and the underframe of the car designated generally by the reference numeral 2i. As clearly appears in Figure 2 of the drawings, thedoor posts comprise Webs 22 and 23 which extend at substantially a right angle to the car side. These posts are substantially channel shaped in section, being formed with inner relatively short anges 24 and 25 and outer relatively longer flanges 26 and 21. These flanges are substantially parallel to the side wall of the car and the outer flanges 26 and 2l provide means to which the metallicv car sheathing 2B and the composite guard strips 29 and 30 are secured.

The car side wall embodies additionally a plurality of intermediate spaced posts of substantially channel shape in cross section, those immediately adjacent the door posts being illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. Each of these intermediate posts 3l embodies a web 32 disposed inwardly of and substantially parallel to the side wall, side flanges 33 and 34 and outwardly directed flanges 35 and 36 which are substantially parallelto and provide means for the attachment of the metallicsheathing 28 as by means of rivets 3l. The door and intermediate posts, as clearly shown in Figure l of the drawings, are secured to the side plate and to the car underframe.

One form of side plate reinforcement-`embody ing the instant invention is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. It embodies an inverted U-shaped portion 38 having a web 33 and outer1 and inner vertical flanges 4i) and 4l and a plate member 42. The reinforcement is disposed relative to the side plate so that the web 39 of the portion 38, of the reinforcement lies contiguous to the underside of the web H of the side plate and the outer vertical flange 40 of said portion lies contiguous to the inner face of the depending flange l2 of the side plate. The plate 42 of the reinforcement is secured as by means of rivets 43 to the inner Vertical flange 4i of the portion 38 while the plate 42 is secured as by means of rivets 44 to the upstanding flange t3 of the side plate. The side plate reinforcement thus provides a braced lower edge, a sturdy reinforcement for the side plate and a design whereby only horizontal rivets need be utilized in the attachment of said reinforcement to the side plate.

In addition to the above described function of the side plate reinforcement, its association with the door posts I9 and fil and, where desired, with any number of the intermediate posts 3l, increases the rigidity of the side plate and removes the customary flexibility thereof which tends t0 cause buckling of the side plate when the car side is subjected to stress. This additional function is obtained by the securement of the door posts and the desired number of intermediate posts to the side plate reinforcement whereby said posts resist the hereinbefore mentioned buckling of the side plate.

In the construction illustrated the door posts I9 and 20 are extended upwardly into the inverted U-shaped portion of the side plate reinforcement so as to be embraced thereby. The upper ends of the door posts are secured as by means of riveting to the outer flange 40 of said portion and the depending flange I2 of the side plate. Similarly, the inner vertical flange of said portion of the reinforcement and the plate 42 are secured to the upper end of the post as by means of riveting. If necessary, the door posts may be offset as indicated at 45 to permit the extension thereof into the inverted U-shaped portion of the side plate reinforcement.

Similarly, the intermediate posts 3| adjacent to the door posts are extended into the inverted U-shaped portion of the side plate reinforcement so as to be embraced thereby, as clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. The association of the upper end of the intermediate posts is substantially the same as described for the door posts, rivets 46 fastening said posts to the depending flange of the side plate and the rivets 43 fastening said posts to the reinforcement by passing through a gusset plate P secured to the web 32 of the post as by rivets 41. If necessary the intermediate posts may be offset as indicated at 48.

The side plate reinforcement may terminate at the door posts or at any desired point beyond the door posts. As clearly shown in Figure 5, it is preferred to extend the side plate reinforcement to include the upper ends of the intermediate posts next adjacent the door posts.

The inner wooden lining for the side wall of the car is shown at 49. It will be observed from Figures 3 and 4 that no portion of the side plate reinforcement extends inwardly of the inner face of the wooden lining. It follows, therefore, that the effective inside heighth of the car is increased, this effective height being determined by the horizontal plane which includes the point of intersection of the member which extends the greatest distance inwardly of the car and the roof of the car. The foregoing invention consequently not only obtains an effective side plate reinforcement and an increased rigidity of side wall construction, but accomplishes these results while at the same time providing for an increase in the effective inside height of the car. The loading capacity and hence the revenue producing capabilities of the car are enhanced.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a railway house car having a door opening in a side thereof, a side plate at the top of said opening, said side plate having inner and outer vertical flanges and a connecting web, door posts contiguous to the sides of said opening, an intermediate post spaced longitudinally of each door post, means securing said door and intermediate posts to said side plate, a reinforcement for said side plate extending continuously from intermediate post to intermediate post, said reinforcement comprising a web disposed contiguous to the underside of the web of said side plate and inner and outer vertical flanges, means securing together the respective inner and outer vertical flanges of said side plate and said reinforcement, means securing said reinforcement to said door and intermediate posts and a lining abutting said intermediate posts and secured to said car side, the projection of said reinforcement inwardly of said car being limited to the plane of the inner face of said lining.

2. In a railway house car having a door opening in a side thereof, a side plate at the top of said opening, said side plate having inner and outer oppositely extending vertical flanges and a connecting web, door posts contiguous to the sides of said opening, an intermediate post spaced lon gitudinally of each door post, means securing said door and intermediate posts to said side plate, a reinforcement for said side plate extending continuously from intermediate post to intermediate post, said reinforcement comprising an inverted Ll-shaped section embracing the top of each of said door and intermediate posts and disposed contiguous to the web and outer vertical flange of said side plate and an upwardly extending vertical flange disposed contiguous to the inner vertical flange of said side plate, means securing said U-shaped section to the outer vertical flange of said side plate, means securing said upwardly extending flange of said reinforcement to the inner flange of said side plate and means securing said U-shaped section to said door` and intermediate posts in substantially the inner and outer vertical planes thereof.

3. In a railway house car having a door opening in a side thereof, a side plate at the top of said opening, said side plate having inner and outer oppositely extending vertical flanges and a connecting web, door posts contiguous to the sides of said opening, an intermediate post spaced longitudinally of each door post, means securing said door and intermediate posts to said side plate, a reinforcement for said side plate extending continuously from intermediate post to intermediate post, said reinforcement comprising an inverted U-shaped section embracing the top of each of said door and intermediate posts and disposed contiguous to the web and outer vertical flange of said side plate and an upwardly extending vertical flange disposed contiguous to the inner vertical flange of said side plate, means securing said U-shaped section to the outer vertical flange of said side plate, means securing said upwardly extending flange of said reinforcement to the inner flange of Said side plate, means securing said U-shaped section to said door and intermediate posts in substantially the inner and outer vertical planes thereof, and a lining secured to said car side in abutting relationship with said intermediate posts, said reinforcement lying outwardly of the plane of the inner face of said lining.

4. In a railway house car having a door opening in a side thereof, a side plate at the top of said opening and door posts contiguous to the sides of said door opening, said door posts being secured to said side plate, said side plate having inner and outer vertical flanges and a web connecting said flanges, a reinforcement for said side y plate, said reinforcement extending across said door opening and beyond said door posts and embracing the tops of said door posts and comprising a web disposed contiguous to the underside of said side plate web and inner and outer vertical flanges, means securing together therespective inner and outer vertical flanges of said side plate and said reinforcement and means securing said reinforcement to said door posts.

5. In a railway house car embodying a doo-r opening and a side` plate having a horizontally arranged web and oppositely extending inner and outer vertical flanges, a reinforcement for said side plate extending continuously across and beyond said door opening in both directions and comprising a horizontal web contiguous to the underside of the web of said side plate, a vertical downwardly extending flange and an upwardly extending vertical flange, said downwardly and upwardly extending flanges of said reinforcement being secured respectively to the inner faces of the inner and outer Vertical flanges of said side plate.

6. In a railway house car having a door opening in a side thereof, a side plate at the top of said opening' and door posts contiguous to the sides of said door opening, said side plate having inner and outer vertical flanges and a web connecting said flanges, a reinforcement for said side plate, said reinforcement extending across said door opening and beyond said door posts, said reinforcement comprising a vertical section secured to the inner vertical flange of said side plate across said door opening and beyond said door posts and to the tcpof each of said door posts adjacent to said inner side plate flange and an outwardly extending section disposed below the web of said side plate, means securing the top of each o-f said door posts to the outer vertical flange of said side plate and means securing said outwardly extending section of said reinforcement to said outer Avertical flange of said side plate across said door opening and beyond said door posts.

'7. In a railway car having a side wall provided with a door opening, a side plate extending across said opening, a member for reinforcing said side plate extending across and beyond said door opening in both directions, said reinforcing inember comprising a vertical flange and a portion extending outwardly therefrom and disposed below said side plate, means securing said vertical flange to said side plate and means securing said outwardly extending portion to said side plate, v

said reinforcing member terminating above the plane of the lower edge of said side plate.

8. In a railway car having a side wall provided with a door opening, a side plate having spaced inner and outer vertical flanges and a connecting web extending across said opening, a member for reinforcing said side plate extending across and beyond said door opening in both directions,

said reinforcing member comprising a vertical flange and a portion extending outwardly therefrom and disposed below said web, means securing said vertical flange of said reinforcing member to said inner vertical flange of said side plate and means securing said outwardly extending portion of said reinforcing member to said outer Vertical flange of said side plate, said reinforcing member terminating above the plane of the lower edge of said side plate. 

